"It is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it."

"The only argument Romney Republicans have for their candidate is fear, an abject fear that is intended to convince you to support what you say you hate.

Well, I, for one, refuse to be motivated or activated by fear, or to abandon the truth, or principle, out of fear.

My Bible tells me that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind, and that He rewards those who act out of a principled faith.

And so, like the free men and women who built this country, let us laugh in the face of fear, and simply do right.

Let us maintain the spirit and attitude of our first and greatest president, George Washington:

'If, to please the people, we offer what we ourselves disprove, how can we afterwards defend our work? Let us raise a standard to which the wise and the honest can repair. The event is in the hand of God.'"

'Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain.'

Tom Hoefling on Government:

"Just as 'good fences make for good neighbors,' good government is mainly about knowing where the legitimate boundaries are, and having the courage to defend those borders forcefully. This is true in terms of the defense of our territory, our security, and our national sovereignty, but it also applies to the sworn duty of all of those in government to equally protect the God-given, unalienable rights of each individual person, from their creation onward, their sacred obligation to stay well within the enumerated powers of our constitutions, and of the role legitimate government must play in balancing the competing rights and interests of the people, in order to establish justice."